I remember my first Christmas adventure with
Grandma. I was just a kid.
I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit
her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus,"
she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been.
I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew
Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a
whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon
buns. I knew they were world-famous because Grandma said so. It had to be
true.
Grandma was home and the buns were still warm.
Between bites I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa
Claus?" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been
going around for years and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your
coat, and let's go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even
finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be
Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just
about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten
dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and
buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car."
Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping
with my mother but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The
store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their
Christmas shopping.
For a few moments I just stood there, confused,
clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy and who on earth to
buy it for.
I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my
friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.
I was just about thought out when I suddenly thought
of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat
right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have
a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter.
His mother always wrote a note telling the teacher that he had a cough but
all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a
good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would
buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to
it. It looked real warm and he would like that.
"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady
behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes,
ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."
The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how
Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change but she put
the coat in a bag, smiled again and wished me a Merry Christmas.
That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a
little tag fell out of the coat and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in
Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over
to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever
officially, one of Santa's helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house,
and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.
Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get
going."
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door,
threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the
safety of the bushes and Grandma.
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for
the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those
moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That
night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what
Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we
were on his team.
I still have the Bible with the coat tag tucked
inside: $19.95.
May you always have LOVE to share,
HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care...
And may you always believe in the magic of Santa
Claus!
(9:20pm)
I just watched a live birth in AP Biology. I was amazingly calm, but I can almost bet that I won’t be calm when my wife is going through the process. God bless you women. Y’all go through a lot of pain to bring life, and men don’t seem to appreciate it (the ones who like to hit, quit, and not do [anything] afterwards). Talked to Ebe, but I can barely recall what she was saying. We were talking about track, how to run. She was schooling me. She is gonna be my mentor when track season comes…if I decide to run track (robotics may interfere).
(10:30pm)
Health is making me wish I came to school at 3rd period. It was the only class that we had to have a lesson in, and I slept through most of it. We learned about relationship abuse. Don’t ask me about the lesson, because I can’t tell you anything about it. Mrs. Rollins came in to observe, but I don't remember much.
(11:05pm)
Should have brought my wii. Should have asked Doña if I could. We just played board games and hung out.
(2:00pm)
Band was empty (well the whole school was empty). We just finished watching How to Train Your Dragon. Good movie. Kinda like a happy-sad ending, though. I left after that, Angela was finishing Lady in the Water, so I just gave her the remote. I went to the library to hang out with Mrs. Cathirell and her A4 class. They had to finish their tests, so not much talking. They had some EC word problems, so I did those. Kinda boring.
A couple of the students asked what I was doing there and if I had class. I just told them that I was a senior, so I was aloud to be there. Talked to Kayla, helped her with her test (a little out of unconsciousness). She has a mouth on her, but she’s cool. I am proud of her for using all 20 words on one of the writing sections of the test. See, I knew she could be smart ☺.
(3:15pm)
Home alone. Bored. Indication of what this break will be like? Probably. I need a camera SOOOOOOO badly.
(3:00am)
Good night.
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